"What, you don't dare?" Long Hun asked, seeing their reaction.
"Deputy Sect Master Long, this..." Jin Xiuxian said helplessly. "The Order Hall is the foremost power in our Divine Land martial arts world. They have many experts, and they also have official backing. We, we..."
He trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
Long Hun smiled faintly. "What if I support you from behind?"
Jin Xiuxian exchanged a look with Mo Fa. "Deputy Sect Master Long, what do you mean?"
"I mean, you go against the Order Hall, and I'll assist you from the shadows!"
Long Hun's eyes narrowed, a faint killing intent flashing. "The Order Hall dared to kill my son; I will make them pay!"
Mo Fa subconsciously said, "Deputy Sect Master Long, with the might of the Divine Gate, dealing with the Order Hall should be simple, shouldn't it? Why don't you act directly, and instead, you want us..."
He too stopped mid-sentence. Long Hun understood his implied meaning. "For certain reasons, it's not convenient for me to directly confront the Order Hall!"
"As for what those reasons are, you don't need to know!"
Given his statement, Jin Xiuxian and Mo Fa, despite their doubts, dared not probe further. At that moment, they understood that Long Hun didn't want to reveal himself to deal with the Order Hall, so he intended to use them.
Jin Xiuxian's heart grew conflicted. He didn't want to agree, yet he didn't dare to refuse.
Long Hun sensed his hesitation. "Don't worry, Jin Xiuxian, I won't send you to your death! I've brought people with me this time, all top-tier experts from the Divine Gate. I will have them assist you!"
"And I will personally intervene when necessary!"
Jin Xiuxian's eyes lit up. If that were the case, he had far fewer worries.
Long Hun continued, "If you help me this time, once it's done, I can promise you, and everyone in your Miao village, entry into the Divine Gate. You will receive my and the Divine Gate's protection for life!"
The light in Jin Xiuxian's eyes intensified. Mo Fa felt the same. Joining the Divine Gate, becoming one of them, their Miao village would have nothing to fear! Not only would they be fearless, but they might even rise to a new level.
Jin Xiuxian's conflict vanished. He clasped his hands to Long Hun and solemnly agreed, "The Miao village is willing to go through fire and water for Deputy Sect Master Long, no matter the cost!"
Long Hun stood up, nodding with satisfaction. "Excellent. Then let's discuss our plan to deal with the Order Hall..."
...
Order Hall Headquarters.
After Qin Yi incapacitated Yu Tongbao and he was sent away, Qin Yi didn't leave the Order Hall immediately. He stayed temporarily.
At the Order Hall headquarters, besides Liang Jinghong and others, Qin Yi also met many other members. Due to the attack on the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, most Order Hall members had returned from their assignments. Qin Yi spent the night at the Order Hall.
The next day.
Qin Yi was resting in his room when he was woken by a commotion. He got up and walked out, seeing four Order Hall members sparring in a clearing not far from his room. He recognized them from the previous night when Xue Qiao'er had introduced them: Xie Dong, Zhao Bei, Guo Zeqi, and Ma Tenghua.
Qin Yi walked over and squatted down, watching quietly. Xie Dong, a tall and muscular man from the north, stood over 1.9 meters tall. He was currently fighting Zhao Bei and Ma Tenghua alone. The latter two were shorter and had slightly lower cultivation, but their combined efforts and agile footwork allowed them to match Xie Dong. The fight was evenly matched, with no clear winner yet.
Qin Yi observed that although Xie Dong's cultivation was higher, his movements were somewhat clumsy and his attacks too slow. As a result, he couldn't land a hit on Zhao Bei and Ma Tenghua, and was frequently struck by their attacks. If not for his superior physique, strong defense, and the fact that Zhao Bei and Ma Tenghua were holding back, Xie Dong would likely have lost already.
After watching for a while, Qin Yi couldn't help but shake his head and smile. Guo Zeqi, who had been watching nearby, noticed Qin Yi's reaction as soon as he arrived. Seeing Qin Yi shake his head and smile, Guo Zeqi called out to Xie Dong and the other two. They stopped their fight and walked towards Qin Yi.
"Qin Yi!"
"Mr. Qin..."
As they approached, the four greeted Qin Yi. Qin Yi stood up and nodded in response to each of them.
Then, Guo Zeqi asked, "Qin Yi, why were you shaking your head and smiling just now? Is there a problem with Xie Dong and the others' sparring?"
Xie Dong and the other two stared at Qin Yi with curiosity.
Qin Yi didn't think much of it and said, "I just feel that Xie Dong has great strength, but his movements are very slow. Although his cultivation is higher than Zhao Bei and Ma Tenghua's, Xie Dong is on the defensive in their exchange. While Zhao Bei and Ma Tenghua are two people, the gap in cultivation is not something that can be compensated for by sheer numbers! If Xie Dong could..."
As Qin Yi was about to offer some advice to Xie Dong, Xie Dong frowned and interrupted him, "Qin Yi, it's easy to talk when you're standing there. Anyone can say things, but doing them is another matter entirely!"
Xie Dong was naturally displeased, as Qin Yi's words had a critical tone. As soon as Xie Dong finished speaking, Zhao Bei immediately chimed in, "Exactly. Talking is one thing, doing is another." Qin Yi's words made him and Ma Tenghua feel underestimated, as if they were supposed to lose to Xie Dong just because their cultivation was lower. Therefore, they were also somewhat unhappy with Qin Yi, feeling he was looking down on them.
"I've seen many people defeat stronger opponents with weaker cultivation! A person's cultivation can reflect his strength to a certain extent, but cultivation and strength are definitely not the same thing!" Ma Tenghua said calmly. Despite his placid tone, his displeasure towards Qin Yi was evident.
Qin Yi was utterly stunned. He had merely made a few observations, and they were reacting so strongly, even confronting him! In reality, the main reason for Xie Dong and the other two's strong reaction was their internal unwillingness to accept his assessment. If Liang Jinghong or Li Changsheng had said the same words, they wouldn't have reacted this way.